SPECIAL FEATURE: Student rises above poverty

CEBU, Philippines - While the faculty of Cebu City National Science High School (CCNSHS) was deliberating on the performance of class 2013, consistent honor student Jireh J. Bautista prayed for only one thing -- that the most deserving student be named valedictorian.

His prayer was answered.

Jireh, fourth child of a shoe repairman and a homemaker who could barely make ends meet, graduated at the top of his class despite adversity.

He outperformed 169 other gifted students and reaped 10 medals in all -- Valedictorian, Proficiency in Physics, Proficiency in Research, Vice President's Award, Philippine Senate Academic Excellence, 1st place in Regional Intel Science Fair and medals from ABS-CBN, Silliman University, Southwestern University and AMA University.

Tuition is free at the government-run science school. However, the students have to undertake a lot of research, projects and extracurricular activities on top of their regular academic load.

Jireh's parents, having no regular income, struggled to fund these while trying to meet the family's daily needs.

Determined to get an education, Jireh persevered and even kept a positive attitude.

"I trust that the Lord will provide," he said. During the graduation ceremonies on March 22, Jireh opened his valedictory address with Proverbs 3: 5 and 6 -- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

His speech was met with thunderous applause and drove some in the audience to tears.

Help came early on through the CCNSHS Alumni Foundation, Inc., which has been implementing a scholarship program since 2005 to help financially disadvantaged but deserving CCNSHS students. Jireh was one of the foundation's 27 scholars as of academic year 2012-2013. He and eight others graduated this year.

"The scholarship program provided Jireh a big opportunity to pursue his gifts and develop the gifts that God has given him. It will be the bridge that will take him to a brighter future," said Wilfredo T. Sa-a, Jr., foundation president.

A HARD LIFE

Each school day in the past four years, Jireh had to walk most of the way between the school in Labangon and the humble two-bedroom house that he shares with his parents and four siblings near the former Jai-alai complex in Duljo-Fatima to save on jeepney fare.

His mother, Belinda, said Jireh initially didn't want to go to CCNSHS because he would need transportation allowance and he heard how students there have to undertake a lot of projects and research.

"He worried that we don't have a computer (with which to do his projects and research). And it's a bit far. We don't have money for jeepney fares. His brothers and sister just walk to school," Belinda said in Cebuano.

Jireh eventually decided to push his luck in CCNSHS. But with no computer at home, Jireh had to do homework or research in an internet cafe, staying there for up to three hours after school at P10 an hour excluding printing costs.

Belinda worried a lot for Jireh's safety.

"Our neighborhood is not safe. My biggest fear is that he would be waylaid and hurt as he walks home at night from the internet cafe," she said.

But the family could not afford a computer. Money is hard to come by. Belinda helps her husband, Pantaleon, by looking for customers. Still, there are times when there are no shoes to repair and dinner would either have to wait or consist of just rice with soy sauce. "Jireh and his brothers and sister don't complain. We're blessed to have such good children," Belinda said.

The family also struggles with rent. They have had to move twice in the past four years. "We couldn't pay the rent. Once, we had a landlady who cut our water supply and threatened to padlock the house if we don't move out," Belinda said.

These economic difficulties have not deterred Jireh and his parents. "My parents want us to finish school so we won't be like them," Jireh said. His father finished only grade school while his mother dropped out of high school.

With help from the Alumni Foundation and some benevolent parents, including one who gave him a weekly allowance in the past two years, Jireh emerged on top.

Academic excellence

Also a valedictorian when he graduated from San Nicolas Elementary School in 2009, Jireh breezed through the academic challenges at CCNSHS.

On top of the awards he reaped during graduation, he also showed proficiency in Mathematics, earning a perfect grade of 100% in Algebra by the end of his second year after getting perfect scores in all quizzes and exceeding the perfect score in the final periodical test because of a bonus question. He was recognized for getting a perfect score in Math in the National Achievement Test that year as well.

He joined and won in different competitions. In his third year, he received a Certificate of Credit in the Australian Math Competition for the Westpac Awards. He and his teammate, Francis Roy Genelsa, also won 2nd place in the division level of the Metrobank-MTAP (Math Teachers Association of the Philippines)-DepEd Math Challenge.

Last year, Jireh's team won 1st place in the Regional Intel Science Fair for their project, "Microalgae as Feedstock for Biodiesel." For this achievement, Jireh's team received a P10,000 cash prize from the Alumni Foundation under the Award of Excellence program sponsored by Batch 1980.

Jireh also topped the Science Quiz Bowl in Physics in the district level and came up fourth in the division level. He represented CCNSHS and won 2nd place in poster and bulletin board making contests and was also part of the school's Scrabble team.

His achievements show the triumph of the human spirit, says Elisa Estenzo-Torres of CCNSHS Batch 1977. "Topping the graduating class of 170 students from CCNSHS is no mean feat, as we know very well. How much more if one had no resources whatsoever to back him up for projects, food, transportation and daily needs," Estenzo-Torres, also vice-president of the Alumni Foundation, said.

Batch 1977 was Jireh's sponsor for the past four academic years. The group has also committed to grant Jireh P20,000 financial assistance in his first year in college under their Good Samaritan college scholarship fund.

Jireh, who is choosing between an engineering and accounting course in college, also recently passed the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholarship examination.

With these facilities, dogged determination to pursue his dreams and complete trust in God, Jireh is ready for the new set of challenges and opportunities that await him.

As he declared in his graduation speech, "the best is yet to come." (FREEMAN)